William Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, have differences and similarities. These plays are both tragedies, which often use supernatural incidents to outline the plot of the story and give both plays a more somber tone. There are many aspects of comparing and contrasting the plays of Hamlet and Macbeth. However, the most significant of the similarities and differences is found in the characters of Hamlet and Macbeth themselves.
Macbeth is a commendable and distinctive tragic hero. He is arguably the true hero of the play. Macbeth makes way for his own destiny, and to fulfil his prophecy given to him by three witches, he kills a number of people before falling into the natural cycle of revenge. Even after Macbeth slaughters everyone …show more content…
Hamlet has been leveled with the burdens of cowardice and indecision, but he is in fact a moral man in an immoral situation, shown when Hamlet does not kill Claudius at the first opportunity, which most would argue is proof of Hamlet’s indecision. However, Hamlet is not indecisive. Hamlet is a hero who seeks to have a moral revenge on Claudius, not blood revenge. For Hamlet, blood revenge is immoral because he believes the answer to violence is not, simply, more violence. Subsequently, he arranges to take a different type of revenge on Claudius. When Hamlet organizes the Gonzago Play, Shakespeare’s “Play-within-a-play”, his main intention is to make Claudius comprehend his own personality to make him feel guilty about murdering Hamlet’s father. When Claudius asks for light towards the end of the Gonzago Play scene, Hamlet achieves his goal. Shakespeare cleverly introduces the character of Laertes as a foil to Hamlet. Hamlet refuses to take blood revenge, but Laertes promises to take revenge of his father’s death after hearing from Claudius that Hamlet killed Laertes’ father. Laertes proves that impulsive action of blood revenge does not bring justice and Hamlet proves how moral revenge makes the sinner regretful and aware of his sin; which Claudius shows when he is repentant of his
Macbeth is a commendable and distinctive tragic hero. He is arguably the true hero of the play. Macbeth makes way for his own destiny, and to fulfil his prophecy given to him by three witches, he kills a number of people before falling into the natural cycle of revenge. Even after Macbeth slaughters everyone …show more content…
Hamlet has been leveled with the burdens of cowardice and indecision, but he is in fact a moral man in an immoral situation, shown when Hamlet does not kill Claudius at the first opportunity, which most would argue is proof of Hamlet’s indecision. However, Hamlet is not indecisive. Hamlet is a hero who seeks to have a moral revenge on Claudius, not blood revenge. For Hamlet, blood revenge is immoral because he believes the answer to violence is not, simply, more violence. Subsequently, he arranges to take a different type of revenge on Claudius. When Hamlet organizes the Gonzago Play, Shakespeare’s “Play-within-a-play”, his main intention is to make Claudius comprehend his own personality to make him feel guilty about murdering Hamlet’s father. When Claudius asks for light towards the end of the Gonzago Play scene, Hamlet achieves his goal. Shakespeare cleverly introduces the character of Laertes as a foil to Hamlet. Hamlet refuses to take blood revenge, but Laertes promises to take revenge of his father’s death after hearing from Claudius that Hamlet killed Laertes’ father. Laertes proves that impulsive action of blood revenge does not bring justice and Hamlet proves how moral revenge makes the sinner regretful and aware of his sin; which Claudius shows when he is repentant of his